Douglas County commissioners indicated Wednesday that they were interested in helping Baldwin City with its purchase of a trail easement along the Midland Railway, but said they wanted to fold the request into their budget discussions for 2019 rather than approve it outright.
Baldwin City Administrator Glenn Rodden requested that the county provide $94,167 in annual installments of $18,833 over the next five years. The money would help the city recoup part of the $354,000 the Baldwin City Council approved in April to purchase 11 miles of hiking and biking trail easement along the railway. Rodden said the city had already received commitments of $25,000 each from Mid America Bank of Baldwin City and the Baldwin City Economic Development Corporation and $12,500 from the Douglas County Economic Development Corporation that would cover part of the easement cost. He also said he was making the same request of the Franklin County Commission that he was making of Douglas County leaders. If both counties were to approve Rodden’s request, Baldwin City’s total cost for the easement would be $94,167, the same as each county’s contribution.
(Read more: LJWorld.com / Lawrence, Kansas)